Which way to go is the road?

Life returned to normal; the internet cafe was still bustling with customers, the aisle squeezed by the noise and commotion from the computer booths on both sides. Lao You and Xiang Fei constantly moved through the crowd, dealing with various computer problems and urging Zhang Chu to add money to customers' accounts.

However, they spent most of their time in the game, participating in the hustle and bustle, conquering cities and fighting bloody battles under the leadership of Qian Luomei, the guild leader.

They channeled their real-life frustrations into the game, fearlessly showcasing their chivalrous spirit and their determination to vanquish evil.

However, things don't always go smoothly in the game. Without money as a backup, there's always someone stronger. You can defeat some people, but others can defeat you. Therefore, becoming stronger in various ways is a constant pursuit for gamers.

After Xiang Fei invested in the game, he successfully set the pace, and Qian Luomei, Zhang Fang, Bai Xue, and Tian Hai all invested varying degrees of money. Qian Luomei and Zhang Fang were particularly prominent; one was an internet cafe owner, and the other was the son of a government official. Their equipment and pet quality had surpassed Xiang Fei's, placing them among the top players on the server.

Xiang Fei was unwilling to hold the team back, especially since Bai Xue was in the team. A man's pride in front of a woman was always the main factor that drove him crazy.

Putting aside the reason mentioned above, Xiang Fei is a character with high agility, and the speed of his actions determines the life or death of the team. He felt very ashamed when his team was wiped out because he was slow to act.

He had been looking for an opportunity to upgrade his equipment, but unfortunately he was short of money.

It was noon that day, not the weekend, so the college students weren't there.

When it was time to eat, Xiangzi went downstairs and called Xiang Fei and Zhang Chu to go out for dinner together.

"Brother, please bring it back for me! The front desk can't be left unattended; I'm on duty here!" Zhang Chu said obediently.

"You go ahead, I'll stay on duty!"

Zhang Chu looked troubled: "I have a special situation; my stomach hurts today, and I don't really feel like moving!"

"Are you alright? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

"No need, it'll be fine in a bit!" Zhang Chu said with a wry smile.

"Okay then! What do you want to eat? Tell me, and I'll bring it to you!"

"I'd like to go order a bowl of he luo noodles!"

"Aren't you from Sichuan? Don't you need to bring chili peppers?"

Zhang Chu continued with a wry smile: "No need!"

Seeing this, Xiangzi grabbed Xiang Fei and pulled him away, saying, "Xiang Fei, they can't eat spicy food, let's go!"

Xiang Fei, looking rather naive, asked, "Why?"

"No reason! Let's go!"

Xiangzi pushed Xiangfei out of "Shuiyunjian". The two of them went to a small restaurant next door, ordered two rice bowls to eat by themselves, and also ordered a bowl of heluo noodles to go!

"Xiang Fei, didn't you have a physiology class in school?"

"No, in our area, besides academic classes, we don't have any other classes like handicrafts, physiology, or labor. Even physical education classes are often interrupted and taken up by other classes!"

"It seems to be similar across the country, but they've already distributed textbooks! Aren't you curious? Haven't you seen them yourself?"

"Of course I've seen it, so what?"

"Do you know the word 'menstruation'?"

"I think I've seen you before. What's wrong with you today? Why do you keep asking me questions like this?" Xiang Fei felt it was inappropriate to say these things while eating.

"Zhang Chu just said it was a special circumstance, a stomachache, why are you still asking endless questions?"

She said her stomach hurt, and I asked her if she wanted to go to the hospital. That's normal!

"How did Zhang Chu answer?"

"No need! Weren't you there too?"

"Stomach ache, special circumstances, no need to go to the hospital, no need to take medicine, don't you understand?"

"Oh—, she's here to..."

"You idiot, you kept asking and asking! I think I'm stupid enough! But you're even more of a blockhead!"

Xiang Fei felt so ashamed! But how could he be blamed for this? They had only been dating for less than a month, and hadn't had time to get to know each other. No one would specifically tell you about such things, so it was sometimes unavoidable that such a joke would happen.

Soon, the rice bowl was ready and served. The two of them wolfed it down. Xiangzi swallowed the food in his mouth, took a sip of water, and looked at Xiang Fei, who was eating.

"Xiang Fei, do you think our guild can rank in the top two in the game?"

"Sure, we can do it! We have a lot of people in our gang, and we're all united! If we play well, we'll definitely be in the top two. There's nothing we can't accomplish when we're united!"

"Yes, our gang has no shortage of members. We're always at full strength for gang wars, and we fight to a standstill with the opposing team, but we often end up losing by a narrow margin! Where do you think we go wrong?"

"What do you think?" Xiang Fei looked up at Lao You with a puzzled expression.

"In my opinion, we lost because of the challenge. Our guild's top teams couldn't beat them, and their guild war health dropped drastically! No wonder we lost!"

Xiangzi's words reminded Xiang Fei of his two recent challenges. Each time, the opponent's high-agility magic made the first move and gained the upper hand, while his side suffered many hidden losses due to its low agility, losing many challenges that could have been won.

Xiangzi's words were like steel needles piercing Xiang Fei's heart, instantly killing his appetite. He put down his chopsticks and thoughtfully sipped his tea.

"What's wrong? Xiang Fei, there's still half a bowl of rice left! Keep eating, leaving it uneaten isn't like you!"

"I have no appetite, forget it, I won't eat!"

"Is something on your mind? If you consider me a brother, tell me and see if I can help!"

"Nobody can help me. I need money. Do you think a gold ingot will fall from the sky?"

Xiangzi listened in silence, holding his teacup but not drinking, frowning and staring straight ahead as if seriously thinking about something. Suddenly, he put the cup down, and his eyes shone with an unusual light.

"Gold ingots won't fall from the sky, but if you want to have money to spend as soon as possible, you can try to find a way!"

Xiang Fei's eyes lit up: "What method?"

"Get a credit card that allows overdrafts!"

What is a credit card?

Xiangzi explained to Xiang Fei the advantages of credit cards, such as the ability to spend in advance, and also went over the spending and repayment methods of credit cards, which made Xiang Fei very eager to try them out.

"But you can't withdraw cash, you can only make purchases by card, which is inconvenient!"

"People can come up with solutions. Do you know the term 'cash-out'? You swipe your card at a merchant to buy something, then don't take the item. You pay them a commission, and they'll give you cash!"

"You can do that?"

"What do you mean 'it can be done like this'? This method has been used to death! Some people have more than ten credit cards, using half for cash advances and the other half to pay off debts! So they always have some cash available for spending!"

After a few words, Xiang Fei became restless. After finishing his meal, he begged Xiangzi to take him to apply for a credit card. Xiangzi looked helpless but eventually reluctantly helped Xiang Fei apply for a credit card at the nearby Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.

As Xiang Fei stepped out of the bank, he excitedly looked at the receipt in his hand and thanked Xiangzi profusely.

"Xiangzi, when will this credit card be approved?"

"It took about 20 days! I think my card was issued around that time!"

"We still have to wait 20 days?"

"Why do you need this money so urgently?"

"It's a bit urgent!"

"I do have some savings that I can lend you. How much do you need?"

"Twelve thousand should be enough!"

"Your credit card's starting limit is only ten thousand yuan. How about this, I'll lend you ten thousand yuan!" Xiangzi looked both troubled and determined, with an expression of someone who would go to great lengths for a friend: "But, once you get the credit card, you absolutely have to withdraw cash and pay me back immediately. I'm counting on this money for the New Year!"

"No problem. We've known each other for quite a while now, you should know my character. As soon as the credit card is issued, I'll withdraw the cash and pay you back!"